Whoever loves dealing with room acoustics...

S

shackrock

New member
Hey all. It's been a while since I've been on here, or done any serious recording... but now I'm moving into a new place (see the floor layout here: http://olentangycommons.com/images/floorplans/3-BR-Townhome_sm.jpg ). On the left of the layout, I will be either using the Dining room or Living room as a little studio. (9 x 10 or 12 x 20)

Does anyone have any tips for making things sound better in here, without taking all my money? I've read plenty of articles/etc. about acoustics, but really I plan on using only blankets and comforters, and maybe I'd build a bass trap, but who knows....

any suggestions on things that worked for you, would be great.

scott
 
ok now that i'm moving in, I'm starting to worry about noise for the neighbors... what can be done to let less sound OUT? again, DIY if possible. haha.
 
Now that's more difficult - you could be talking floating floors and "room within a room". Costs money, loses at least a foot off every dimension of the room, and is difficult to ventilate.

Is this a detached building or are you attached to your neighbours? If the latter, what's the construction of the connecting wall?
 
shackrock said:
I've read plenty of articles/etc. about acoustics, but really I plan on using only blankets and comforters, and maybe I'd build a bass trap, but who knows....
Click to expand...


So you read the articles - plenty of them in fact, but apparently want to disregard what you have read in the hopes that someone you don't know on the internet can give you the advice you want to hear?

It ain't happening here.

Treating your room for acoustics is a different animal than decreasing the transmission of sound outside the room.

Put a blanket over your head. Now hit a drum. Notice much of a difference in volume? Me either. Sound a little muddy and muffled? That's how your room will sound if you treat it with blankets.

What are you recording, and how are you recording it? What is your expectation for a finished product? Are you in a single-family home where you can build? If you're just recording lute or something it's not that difficult to clean up. If you're wanting to record a drumset, that's a more difficult proposition.
 
Yes I've read articles on treating roms...Obviously it's not that I don't want to DO what I read, it's that every article I've read means buying buying buying - so no I'm not looking for the advice I want to hear, but perhaps some stories of what worked for other people without buying $1000 of stuff.

I do understand that it's impossible to silence this room from my connected neighbors. I just was hoping to get a it a little quieter for them. If it's unreasonable, then I suppose it's not that important, we can just play when they will let us.


I have all the equipment I used from a few years back - onyx 1220+firewire, bx9's, sm57's/58's/at4050/c1/etc...
As for instruments, most is digital so it isn't a problem. Live sound instruments would be guitar (acoustic and electric) as well as the occational drums.

I want to treat the room so that when I mix, I'm not hearing a billion reflections and messing up the mix. Additionally, so that I can sing/play guitar in a non-horrible sounding room...

hopefullly this helps more! thanks.
 
If you've read a bunch of articles, you surely must know that blankets and comforters aren't gonna do anything for you except kill the high end, and make everything muddy and lifeless.

Buy a pack of 2 or 4" rigid fiberglass or similar acoustic-grade insulation and make yourself some cheap 4" thick bass traps for the corners (wall-wall as well as wall-ceiling). Make a few 2" thick panels for your first reflection points. These can be very simple - insulation wrapped in cheap fabric ($1/yd. - check the discount/clearance rack at the fabric store), and hung on picture hangers, if you want.

You can make a noticable improvement in room acoustics with a $100 to $200 investment.

You are not gonna get any significant results with lowering transmission without a relatively HUGE investment and fairly major construction.
 
how much of your equipment/skill/time is only necessary for fixing musician issues?

ooops - meant to post a new thread
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top